Tall with long straw-coloured hair, Sam Doble played three times for England as a fullback with a reputation as a consistent place kicker. He won his call-up after scoring 581 points for Moseley in 1971-72, and made his debut in a remarkable 18-9 win over a formidable South Africa side in Johannesburg, slotting four penalties and a conversion. A 0-10 loss to New Zealand and 9-25 defeat by Wales followed and he was not picked again. In 1976 he was dropped by his club for the first time after a marked loss of form. A few weeks later he retired at the age of 31, citing a rib injury as the reason, but it was soon discovered that he was suffering from a rare form of lymphatic cancer. He died in September the following year aged 33. An extremely popular figure, his premature death was widely mourned. He scored 3651 points in a short career.Martin Williamson